Americans are truck people. When it comes to towin’, haulin’, and tarpaulin, it’s all about the truck. Head across the Atlantic, though, and you’ll find the tow-ers, haulers, and tarpaulers(?) are all about the van – to the point where Ford has started building sporty commercial vehicles that are more ridiculous than most hot hatches on the market today.
We’re a little late on this one, as it turns out Ford has been doing this for years. We hadn’t noticed because it was going on in Europe instead of these proud United States. Indeed, this matter was brought to our attention by a post from race mechanic and writer Bozi Tatarevic. He shared a picture of a Ford Transit that looks so bonkers you’d assume it was a silly concept or a render. But it’s quite literally a model you can pick up from presumably any Ford dealer in the UK or EU.
What you’re looking at here is the Ford Transit MS-RT. They’re calling it a “Supervan for the Road” and the bodykit is trying very hard to live up to that grand ideal.
Imagine that someone shows up to fix your plumbing and their van got this interior. pic.twitter.com/r4uG9ETAm1
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) August 21, 2024
It seems that just as America has the desert sport truck category, Europe is now getting vans with road-racing mods. The Transit Custom MS-RT is customized in the classic tuner style, with a huge front air dam and side skirts for an imposing look. There’s a spoiler up top (which can be hilariously split for double doors), and even a diffuser integrated into the rear bumper. Naturally, it wears a sweet set of 19-inch alloy wheels which are 2.2 pounds lighter per corner than the standard Transit Connect wheels. They’re also wider, for a total track width increase of over 2 inches.
It’s available with two, three, or five seats depending on your application. It offers up to 240 cubic feet of cargo space, along with a maximum payload of 2478 pounds. It’s not the heaviest hauler out there, but as far as aggressively styled sports vans go, it’s pretty well equipped.
This thing is available with multiple powertrains, with the exclusive all-electric model boasting a single-motor rear-wheel-drive setup good for 281 horsepower. However, you’ll only get 146 miles of range, so you’ll be taking advantage of the 125 kW fast charging on the regular. Sadly there’s no word on acceleration figures. Expect good, but not exceptional, given this thing is still, fundamentally, a van.
Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid version gets a 2.5-liter Duratec engine with a total combined output of 228 hp to the front wheels. Alternatively, you can get it with a 2.0-liter EcoBlue diesel, with 168 horsepower in FWD in AWD. That setup comes with an 8-speed auto. If you want the purity of a 6-speed manual, you’ll have to take the 148 hp FWD version.
Fundamentally, those are capable if unexceptional drivetrain choices. Given the most recent Supervan had over 1,400 horsepower, this one is a little light on in comparison.
Inside, you get a sports interior with heavily-bolstered seats, lots of MS-RT logos, and contrast stitching. There’s even a 12-o’clock marker on the steering wheel, as if it’s a bonafide GT3 car! The exterior is available in a wide variety of lurid colors, taking in yellows, greens, and blues. There’s even a purple!
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of anyone looking for a rally-inspired commercial vehicle, but Ford’s gone ahead and built one anyway. Or more specifically, MS-RT has. It’s effectively a manufacturer working in partnership with Ford, and it’s behind the bonkers Transit, as well as a racier version of the Ford Ranger, too.
Questions, Questions, Questions
There are a few interesting points I’d like to raise about the Transit Custom MS-RT. It’s a very cool van, to be sure, and Ford’s press release earlier this year noted that deliveries would start in “mid-2024.” As of yet, though, this bright green van is almost a ghost online. There are a few outlets talking about it when it was first announced, but precious little since. If this were the latest Chevrolet Raptor TRX Dune Muncher 5000, every influencer out there would have had one already and been jumping it off cliffs. Meanwhile, I’m yet to see the hint of this thing even parked anywhere near the Nürburgring.
There’s no word on pricing at this stage, or whether or not deliveries have actually started. I’ve contacted MS-RT for more details on these matters. I have a sneaking suspicion that deliveries beginning “mid-2024” could absolutely extend to late August, or even later. Who amongst us hasn’t enjoyed the ambiguity of a poorly defined deadline?
There are only a handful of videos showing this thing out in the wild.
My grander question is more serious: Exactly who is this for? On the surface, sure, it’s for the tradesperson who wants a sporty-looking van that they can maybe take out for a hot spin on the weekend. Indeed, the marketing copy imagines Transit MS-RT drivers will, “Get the job done, then own the weekend.” But if you think about it for more than 30 seconds, that doesn’t make any sense!
For a start, despite the Transit’s bold looks, it’s not exactly likely to best many other performance-oriented vehicles. Even in EV form with 281 hp, it’s still got a kerb weight of over 4,000 pounds. Beyond that, if you’re using this as a trade vehicle, it’s going to be full of tools, or packages, or racking. Would you really want to be hauling this thing around Donnington Park with all that stuff rattling around in the back?
Still, it’s easy to understand the impulse behind this, even if it doesn’t seem to make commercial sense. It’s only natural to take any old random vehicle and throw a bodykit and sportier wheels on it. Funnily enough, we’ve seen this kind of thing before, just not from Ford itself. Once upon a time, somebody tried swapping the guts of a Focus ST into a 2014 Ford Transit Connect, with mixed-if-hilarious results. It sold for over $28,000, so it’s clear someone saw the value there.
Fundamentally, these fast-looking vans are such an outlier, I’m finding it hard to believe I haven’t heard of them sooner. MS-RT has actually been building souped-up Transits for quite some time, like the older model pictured below. It even built a particularly wild model with a sharp front splitter and an ECU-flashed engine good for 208 hp. And yet they’ve made the smallest ripple in the broader car community. It’s also worth remembering the earlier 2007 Ford Transit SportVan, which absolutely made Matt’s day when he saw one in London in September last year.
What I really want to see, though, is a few of these MS-RT models out in the wild. Who is using them, and what for? Heck, they should start a one-make series. If the Brits were game to race Volvo wagons, they could absolutely race these. Still, I’m not sure what has me more confused: that these strange beasts exist, or that I’d never heard of them before today.
Image credits: Ford/MSRT, Cars and Bids
“Would you really want to be hauling this thing around Donnington Park with all that stuff rattling around in the back?”
Yes
Me. That’s who.
In 2008, Mazda had their Mazda5 with a manual transmission, and we bought one. The only downside is that they only offered it, at the time, in their lowest-spec model. I wanted to get heated mirrors and seats, but couldn’t.
Next time I go car shopping, if I could get a 9-seater short wheelbase and low roof Transit with the 3.5 Ecoboost and a 6-speed manual? Perfect! Even better if it was sporty like these. Paddle shifters (rather than the +/- on the console shifter) would be a nice consolation prize.
And, of course, those nice bright colors will be cool, too.
I’ll take one, in purple, with two seats and a six speed please.
“My grander question is more serious: Exactly who is this for?”
For the “free candy” givers that’s who.
The two buyers that immediately come to mind are Jeremy Clarkson to use for his farm store and Edd China or his buddy Paul.
I’d consider one as a daily driver
You could’ve told me that was stock and I would’ve believed you. The admittance is a denigration of how ridiculously aggressive modern vehicle styling is.
Also these seem like tax loophole vehicles. It’s expensive to own certain combinations of vehicle size, vehicle type, and engine size. So to get around that… You build a fast van that can be tuned to go even faster. Just like in the U.S. in the ’70s muscle trucks showed up as loophole vehicles to get around emissions.
Lewin, I’d own one of these vans before one of Ford’s tarted up Ranger’s which sells in their thousands to deluded Australians who only ever dream of battering the Outback into submission with it. Or actually working out of it…
I drive my pandemic Mazda on the Autobahn. 120 horses, 0-60 (make that 100 kph) in around nine seconds, and around 100 mph (160 kph), the suspension can’t keep up with the road. Yes, I need to be aggressive one the manual transmission to keep that speed on hills, but most of them seem to have a limit now anyway. On those few stretches where I can open it up to that speed, most of the cars passing me are Audis, Mercs, or panel vans. There’s a subset of work drivers who just haul ass.
What’s disappointing is the modest HP numbers, but again, for public driving, you can get yourself in trouble with those numbers.
And yes, in many countries, you pay a lower tax for vans that are clearly commercial instead of passenger
Indeed, indeed. White van drivers usually haul ass (+140/150 km/h in motorways). Also, some of those things aren’t “that slow”.
The V6 Vitos, for example, were fairly a fast vehicles.
Needs more airbrush art on the sides
…and a heart-shaped bubble window!
Was gonna say, airbrush a wizard on there sporting a red, glowing ocular implant and a cyberdeck, and you’ve got yourself a modern-day bitchin’ van, and I’m here for it
Don’t forget the recessed license plate
Hey. This is a modern day take on the A-Team van (early 80’s) that B. A. (Mr. T) used to drive in that far out show.
It had a cool paint job, mag wheels, front spoiler and rear wing…and went super fast (for 70’s full-sized van that is). They even solved crimes and got the bad guys every time.
That’s the ultimate touring band van. “We’re late for the gig!” said no owner of one of these vans.
I’m in the UK and just up the road is a Ford dealership, They often have a few of these vans in and the colours look superb in real life, With a range that puts some car models to shame. I do see more pickups here than I used to for sure, But we do still have a very strong van culture here.
I might consider one myself but I have a VW T3 that I intend to keep forever 🙂
These aren’t really intended for your average plumber. A lot of people in the UK and elsewhere in Europe have vans (mainly VWs) as their daily drivers in the same way people have SUVs or trucks in the US. So there is a significant market for higher spec interiors, boosted performance etc.
While there are people who have vans are primary vehicles / non-work vehicles (usually smaller Kangoos / Berlingos / Caddys / Transit Connect), the take rate is nowhere near as high as “private pickups” do in the US.
In any case, this must sell in fairly small numbers.
Bring me the purple one.
I second that purple color, it’s a shame that that the US market is ruled by SUV’s, CUV’s in your choice of any color…as long as it is gray scale.
My feeling is that there’s probably an unsatisfied desire for more color options.
A local(ish) guy who delivers random parcels has just got a purple one, his excuse;
” It makes a shit job slightly less shit”, which is fine by me.
Now that’s the spirit!
Would.
Most exciting thing about this is what looks like a POP-OUT WINDOW(!!!) in the second-row door.
Why no 3-seat 7-passenger version? 😛
And yeah, the green, yellow, and purple are fucking awesome
That pink is properly good! I’d gladly roll up to Home Depot or the boat ramp in that majestic beast.
Nothing more than a Transit Custom van, which may be coming to Ohio Assembly in 2026. EV powertrain is being promoted by Ford, but given the current market we’ll hopefully get the hybrid and petrol versions too…
…given the “current market”
From experience, tax dodging builders.
These and luxury minivans are fantastic and the future!
I own two 2003 Mazda MPVs with the Duratec 3.0. They are surprisingly fast and fun to drive – the perfect size for carrying four adults in roomy comfort. Mine are both full dress with leather bucket seats, all power options, and the sport tires/wheels. I have other cars that are faster, more upmarket, and more luxurious… but the the first MPV I had was so very useful that I bought a second one in the same trim.
I looked at a CX-5 (which is a great & beautiful CUV), but my current MPVs have almost twice the interior room, much better viability, and weigh less.
I would love a new small van with modern features and more sport & luxury choices!
Fun fact. I have very few personal “rules of the road” but rule #1 for years has been “never get behind a Mazda MPV” because it’s basically always a bad experience – too slow/wrong lane, no turn signals, inconsistent braking, all of the above. I stand by it.
I might imagine you’re an exception to that rule. Nice to know they’re out there.
Its probably not an unreasonable rule. A good one is about as sporty to drive as a minivan gets – mainly because they are relatively small and light, and the 3.0 has impressive torque. But they get no respect and sell cheap.
Most of the ones I see are base models that are worn hard, moving slow, and show the scars and bad tires of a vehicle that has seen years of poor maintenance and low income family use.
My folks had one growing up. Not sure what spec it was – probably a mid-spec since it had 4WD and power everything. Ours was white with a blue interior. My folks traded it in before I got my license but as a passenger it was pretty comfy.
But a buddy mine’s parents had a higher spec and I remember it being pretty nice the few times I rode it. It was a metallic green with dark brown leather, and light tan seat inserts. It looked really sharp.
I see some well preserved ones every so often and really, they are pretty great vans that have aged well.
Seriously cool! The colors alone make these vans especially noteworthy. One does wonder how they’d do on the other side of the globe; for a good decade or so people have been modifying and racing (& drifting!) third-generation Dodge Ram vans in Japan. There are videos on YouTube such as this one: https://youtu.be/7U2BC5sOltU?si=BNWQQGfMmvttaa5V
And Stef Schrader wrote about it as well over at the old site: https://jalopnik.com/how-japanese-dodge-van-fanatics-modify-their-huge-vans-1827354118
Easy, this is for the European equivalent of all the guys here buying bro-dozers, and these make so much more sense than those.
Although, in all honesty, the market will be very small…
Look at all the great colors! like 8 not grayscale actual colors.
Sporty vans are a great Idea
Now I miss Sabine all over again.
Same thought.